Pictures

I will post some pictures once I get home...

And finally today...

That brings us up to today. It was a FULL day of walking. We went to Santa Maria Maggiore church to see where the keep some manger fragments and where Bernini is entombed…then to San Giovanni in Laterano where they keep pieces of St. Peter and St. Paul’s…heads (of all things) that are enshrined in statues. Then it was off to St. Peter in Chains church where we got to see the chains that St. Peter was bound with in prison and the statue of Moses by Michelangelo.
Tomorrow, I’d like to go to the Pantheon…but I’m not sure what we’ll end up doing. We will need to take the last train of the evening out of Rome (around 11 PM) to the airport and then sit until 6 AM. We were planning on taking a bus to the airport around 3:30 AM, but the lady at the tourist information booth talked us out of it.
I probably won’t have time to go the internet café and blog…so we’ll say ciao for now and we’ll see you sometime when we get home.

Sunday's recap...

On Sunday we got up really early to go to the Vatican Museum. When we got there the line was nearly 2 blocks long…at least! Someone came along trying to get people to join an English tour for 25 euros…since the museum was free since it was the last Sunday of the month, we decided to go for it. We were able to buck the line and get in within 5 minutes of the museum opening. We had a “cute” little old Italian guy for our guide. He was a little hard to understand, but it was well worth the money. Following the Vatican, we went to the Sistine Chapel…Phyllis and I jumped in with a tour group which allowed us to go through a back door and go straight into St. Peters. What an awe inspiring experience.

Following St. Peters we went to Castel Sant’Angelo which was originally Hadrian’s tomb and then later a castle and prison. We walked to and spent a little time at the Borghese gardens/park. Unfortunately when we called for reservations in advance they didn’t have any openings for a tour of the museum until October 2!!!...needless to say, we wouldn’t be here then. Then on to the Spanish Steps, window shopping at Guci, Prada…and other places that I can’t afford! We ended the night at the Hard Rock Café for dinner and to get a pin for my hubby’s…and Phyllis’ ex-hubby’s collection.

Saturday's recap...

On Saturday we ended up walking past a mansion that was holding an open exhibit of their library with books back well in the 1400’s along with a Bernini sculpture that they had “decorated” with a water, fire, and air theme. It was pretty cool. They had faux books hanging from the ceiling with a crystal pendant hanging from them and they were interactive…so they flapped in the air.
Following this we went to the Victor Emmanuel Monument and walked up a bunch of steps…and then went through their museums. What a view at the top. We got to the see Trajan’s monument, the Roman market place and some of the Roman Forum. After that we walked to the Capitoline Museum and ended the day walking to the Trevi Fountain…which is an absolutely wonderful fountain, tucked in a little section of nowhere!

Friday's recap....

On Friday, we went to the Coliseum. Phyllis didn’t want to go in, so I went in by myself. It was wonderful! I could just imagine the gladiators fighting. I then went to the Roman Forum…again Phyllis didn’t want to go, she just sat in a shady area outside the Coliseum and rested. I walked all over the Forum…over the bumpy cobblestones…only just barely falling on my face a few times! I just loved it. In my mind I could envision Caesar in his toga and the Vestal Virgins keeping the flame alit! It is amazing how they could build such huge structures in a day when there weren’t any cranes and OSHA! I just started up to the Palatine Hill when it was getting towards dusk, so I went back to meet up with Phyllis. I probably won’t get back to Palatine Hill…but what a great day!

We are having internet connection problems...

What a busy couple of days. Phyllis and I arrived safely in Rome on Thursday afternoon, but unfortunately our internet in the hotel has not been working. The first day, they said it would be fixed the following day…then the following day it was working sporadically…then not. So we found a little internet café near the hotel. Not the nicest place…but at least we can have access to the “outside world”! So much for our plans of keeping everyone up to date as to what is happening!

Our room is tiny, but clean. I still can’t get over how many people in Rome smoke. The little old Italian guy that runs the front desk in the evening smokes like a chimney and it comes right up the stairs and I can smell it in our room. Yuck.

Anyway on our first day here, we just got settled into our room and walked around the neighborhood to get a feel of the area. Our hotel is located very near the Termini train station and within walking distance of many of the area attractions. We saw the Santa Maria delgi Angeli Bascilica and the Baths of Diocletian.

Our last day in Paris...

Phyllis and I split up today. I wanted to go to the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery and the Sacre Coeur / Montmartre and she wanted to go to the L'Orangerie and the Luxombourg Museum to see the special Tiffany collection on loan.

At the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery I saw the graves of Maria Callas, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Edith Piaf, Moliere, Jim Morrison (pictured), Frederic Chopin (pictured), Heloise and Abelard (oldest residents of Pere-Lachaise), Collette, Gioacchino Rossini, and Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann (who redesigned the layout of Paris). It was amazing to see all the old statues and some small...but some huge grave sites.

It was then off to Sacre Coeur...yes, I climbed the steps to the level with some fountains and ate my sandwich there, then walked the rest of the way up the stairs. Although the church isn't very old...finished in 1919...it sits on the highest point in Paris, and what a view.

After the Sacre Coeur I walked through Montmartre. I saw one of Paris' oldest churches, built in 1147 founded by King Louis VI and his wife Adelaide. Then wandered through the town, checking out where some famous painters such as Picasso, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh used to live when they were getting started. I ended up at the Moulin Rouge.

Then I went back to our room to wait for Phyllis, but she hadn't come back yet, so it was back out to see the Eiffel Tower lit up and sparkling...what a sight...and then catch bus#69 for a "tour" to see some of the sites and monuments lit up at night.

Day 5

It was another beautiful day in Paris. The temperature was a little chilly this morning as we left to head out to Notre Dame...but once we got to walking around it was quite comfortable. We toured the Notre Dame and then checked the line to go up into the tower, but it was way too long so we decided to move on. We then stopped at the Deportation Memorial.












After that we did a walking tour of the left bank including a monument to St. Michel, followed by the Palace of Justice, St. Chapelle with beautiful stained glass windows and the Conciergerie where Marie-Antoinette spent her last days prior to being beheaded.

After that we walked up to see the Henry IV monument then walked back to the Notre Dame to go up the tower, but unfortunately we just missed the cut off. We then went through the Notre Dame Crypt.

Check out the art deco metro station signage...

Another full day of walking...

Day 4

Only 2 more days left to spend in Paris. What a busy day today. We went to the Eiffel Tower this morning and we ended up climbing up over 700 steps. At least we got to take the elevator down.









After that we walked to the Trocadero to get some full-height pictures of the Tower.

Then walked to the Arc de Triomphe and walked up 284 stairs and then down them!

Next we headed to the Louvre and saw a bunch of great art…especially some of my favortites…the Winged Victory, Mona Lisa, The Virgin of the Rocks, and Venus de Milo.

Then it was off to see the Place Vendome and the Opera House. Finally it was the Hard Rock Café. Yes, we ate at the Hard Rock Café.

What a day!

Day 3

We got up this morning and the weather was really overcast, so we decided not to go to the Eiffel Tower. Instead we went to the Museum d'Orsay and then walked over to the Tuileries and the Place de la Concorde. We caught the metro to my brothers' place in Neuilley-sur Seine...and when we got off the metro...we went up the wrong exit...we were to look for a fountain in the square and unbeknownst to us there was also a fountain at the other end. Needless to say we probably had to walk a mile out of our way until we got back to where we should have been! In any case we got to Jeff's place and had some wine and wonderful bread, cheeses and spicy sausages...then went out to dinner. It was really great to see my brother and his family again. I haven't seen them since Christmas time last year.

Well...no pictures tonight. I'm exhausted...but I'll try to catch up tomorrow night!

Day 2

It got a little chilly last night with the windows open, but it felt wonderful! I got up at 7:30 and started getting ready. Phyllis woke up when I got my shower. Thanks goodness I brought a dual voltage hair dryer. The one they have in the room would have taken me at least an hour to dry my hair! With both Phyllis and I having to dig through our suitcases and trying to find everything we needed, it took us 2 hours to get down to breakfast.

We ended up making a sandwich to take along for lunch and then headed out for the Gare de l'Est to get our Museum Pass and a carnet of metro tickets. Then we were off to buy our train tickets to Versailles. We got on the RER Line C train...but as we discovered, we got on the wrong one. We ended up getting off the train...getting on another one to go back to one of the stops and then had to walk about a mile to Versailles. We did get to see the quaint little town of Versailles though.

Both Phyllis and I were at the Chateau before...but seeing it again, it was still outrageously opulent!!! Here's Phyllis at the main gate and a picture in the main courtyard. Louis the XIV's bedroom is on the second floor where the three arched windows are located.













The history and architecture is fabulous...with gold leaf everywhere. Typically the gardens are free, but today since they also had the fountains on...they charged an additional 8 euros. Oh well...it was something that I never saw before, so I guess it was worth it.













We also walked to the Grand Trianon, the Petite Trianon and Marie Antoinette's Domaine. Louis and Marie Antoinette used to go to to get away from the limelight of the Chateau. The Grand Trianon was a wee-bit smaller, but still opulent. Marie Antoinette's Domaine was very quaint and country cottage-like. They obviously aren't keeping up with the maintenance on those structures...and you couldn't actually go into her domaine structures.













We left around 7:30 p.m. and got back to the Gare de l'Est around 8:30 p.m. without any incidents. We stopped at a local restaurant and had a bite to eat. Tomorrow we are going to do a little sightseeing in the morning and early afternoon and are going to my see my brother around 5 PM. Well better get some shut-eye so we can get moving early!

Signing off for now...

Our first day is almost over...

Here are two pictures taken from our hotel. One is the view of the closest intersection a half a block away and the other is an apartment complex across the street with a cute little courtyard.




We had a little excitement today. Apparently they had a Palestine demonstration right down the street. Not sure what that was about. By the time Phyllis and I got down there, it had dispersed, but here are two pictures.










We ended up going to Garde d'Est, the train and metro station and looking around to get a lay of the neighborhood where we are staying. I was able to find a cable for 5 euros...which wasn't too bad. The first one was 29 euros...there was no way I was paying that. A euro is about $1.50 right now. Thus we have pictures!!!!

I bought a bottle of French wine and then we ended up getting salads and fresh baked bread (aka...large pizza dough bread sticks) at a little pizzeria a couple of blocks away. The wine is the cheapest thing here! LOL. Everything is so expensive due to the poor value of the dollar.

We are planning on going to Versailles tomorrow to see the Chateau, the gardens and Marie Antoinette's Cottage/estate.

Stay tuned for pictures!

Bonne nuit.

We are here...

We left Atlanta last night around 11:00 pm and arrived safely in Paris at 1:30 pm. My brother Jeffrey picked Phyllis and I up at the airport and delivered us to the hotel. The room is nice and cozy with three sets of French door windows overlooking the street. The weather is absolutely beautiful here...right now it is 73 degrees with off and on sun.

We are getting unpacked, freshened up...and then are going to go check out the area.

Unfortunately I don't know if I'm going to be able to upload pictures as I didn't bring the cord. I thought the computer had a slot for the picture card...but it doesn't. I'll have to see if I can locate one somewhere. :(

The Start of our Grand Adventure

The day is finally here! We will be leaving Tampa around 4 PM...and then head for the Atlanta airport. Our flight there doesn't leave until almost 11 PM, so we'll have a long layover. It will give us some time to eat dinner, relax and compare notes of what sites we want to go to.

My brother Jeff will be picking us up at the airport...which will be a big plus as it will give us a little time to figure out metro and train schedules!

I am so excited...Au revoir mes petit amis!

Only one more day...

until our grand adventure! Stay tuned for daily updates as Phyllis and I experience Paris and Rome.

4 Days and Counting...

until Phyllis and I leave for Paris!!!

16 Days and Counting

Only 16 more days until Phyllis and I leave for Paris!!! There's so much to do...and unfortunately I will have to spend the weekend before in Omaha on business.